Dirty Water is Almost Everywhere
Since it is a known fact that there is a substantial amount of water for everyone, there are certain regions that carry clean water, and other areas that transmit impure and dirty water. The way that you can determine if an area has access to clean water is by looking at two things.
The first one is the wealth. If the country is wealthy or the area has money then they are more likely to put the money into filtering the water, or pumping in clean water. Regions where money is available will invest its wealth into a purified water system and make it a priority to provide clean water to its inhabitants, for clean water is a basic life necessity.
The second one is location and geography. Some cities and settlements are in areas with access to abundance of water and some are not. For example, the east coast of America has plenty of water available because of the annual rainfall and surplus of bodies of water including the Chesapeake, Hudson, and Potomac rivers. Places like Africa, which is full of desert and steppe climates, are mostly dry and have little to no natural sources of drinking water. There are many people that live in these areas and must commute in order to gain access to water.
It is because of this that many people in Northern Africa live along the Nile since it is the primary source of water. Those who live up stream are at less risk than those who live downstream. Since people bathe, wash clothes and go into the river, they are incapable of separating good water from bad and do not possess a proper filtration system. If you look at the picture of the Nile at night, you can see all of the lights are around the river and don’t stretch far from it. The most densely occupied settlements are made along bodies of water, and the Nile is a key example.
The first one is the wealth. If the country is wealthy or the area has money then they are more likely to put the money into filtering the water, or pumping in clean water. Regions where money is available will invest its wealth into a purified water system and make it a priority to provide clean water to its inhabitants, for clean water is a basic life necessity.
The second one is location and geography. Some cities and settlements are in areas with access to abundance of water and some are not. For example, the east coast of America has plenty of water available because of the annual rainfall and surplus of bodies of water including the Chesapeake, Hudson, and Potomac rivers. Places like Africa, which is full of desert and steppe climates, are mostly dry and have little to no natural sources of drinking water. There are many people that live in these areas and must commute in order to gain access to water.
It is because of this that many people in Northern Africa live along the Nile since it is the primary source of water. Those who live up stream are at less risk than those who live downstream. Since people bathe, wash clothes and go into the river, they are incapable of separating good water from bad and do not possess a proper filtration system. If you look at the picture of the Nile at night, you can see all of the lights are around the river and don’t stretch far from it. The most densely occupied settlements are made along bodies of water, and the Nile is a key example.
Another area that has sever droughts is often cities along the California coast and the southwestern regions of the Untied States. The annual rainfall in these areas is significantly less than that of the east coast; there are not as many rivers that travel through the lands and large metropolitan cities that have high populations, such as Los Angeles and Phoenix, must pump their water supply from sources from outside the state. As a result, the water bill in these cities are much higher for residence.
The developed countries in the world only have about 10 million people without access to clean water. This includes America, Canada, the entirety of Europe, Russia, Japan, and Australia and New Zealand. Most of the dirty water comes from areas that are more impoverished and a few areas that do not have much access to water. Ten million is a lot of people but it is nothing compared to the rest of the world. This area is more than half the earths' land mass.
The next region that has dirty water would be the stretch of land running south from Mexico - including Central and South America. There are about 40 million without access to clean water in these areas. South America is a developing continent and is still in a state of poverty, but has a numerous amount of rivers and rain because of the Amazon rainforest, which is why the number is not higher.
The Middle East, which consists mostly of desert terrain, has around 200 million people without access to clean water. This region is made up of mostly developing countries that are ruled by many unstable governments. The lack of water is due to the geography of this area; there are not many resources available. The governments have the power to save its people but they do not always choose to do so.
Another area without clean water is eastern and southeastern Asia; over 200 million are deprived of water. The main cause for the polluted water in these regions is not because of lack of water, but because of lack of filtration. Southeast China is a wet area most for the year and there should be enough clean water for everyone but it is a poverty-stricken area so they cannot afford to clean the water.
The final region on the map is the region of Africa, where close to 400 million people do not have access to clean water. Almost half of all the dirty water in the world is from Africa. They have all of the factors that would contribute to dirty water. They have unstable governments that will not support the water crisis, large amounts of deserts where people live and there is no water, and poor standards of hygiene.
Unstable governments are a huge factor about whether a nation or area gets clean water or not. The government’s usually control the wealth and can decide what to do with it. Many of the governments do not have the money to fix the problem but many of them do. They are just corrupt governments and do not spend the money on things that are needed for the people.
The developed countries in the world only have about 10 million people without access to clean water. This includes America, Canada, the entirety of Europe, Russia, Japan, and Australia and New Zealand. Most of the dirty water comes from areas that are more impoverished and a few areas that do not have much access to water. Ten million is a lot of people but it is nothing compared to the rest of the world. This area is more than half the earths' land mass.
The next region that has dirty water would be the stretch of land running south from Mexico - including Central and South America. There are about 40 million without access to clean water in these areas. South America is a developing continent and is still in a state of poverty, but has a numerous amount of rivers and rain because of the Amazon rainforest, which is why the number is not higher.
The Middle East, which consists mostly of desert terrain, has around 200 million people without access to clean water. This region is made up of mostly developing countries that are ruled by many unstable governments. The lack of water is due to the geography of this area; there are not many resources available. The governments have the power to save its people but they do not always choose to do so.
Another area without clean water is eastern and southeastern Asia; over 200 million are deprived of water. The main cause for the polluted water in these regions is not because of lack of water, but because of lack of filtration. Southeast China is a wet area most for the year and there should be enough clean water for everyone but it is a poverty-stricken area so they cannot afford to clean the water.
The final region on the map is the region of Africa, where close to 400 million people do not have access to clean water. Almost half of all the dirty water in the world is from Africa. They have all of the factors that would contribute to dirty water. They have unstable governments that will not support the water crisis, large amounts of deserts where people live and there is no water, and poor standards of hygiene.
Unstable governments are a huge factor about whether a nation or area gets clean water or not. The government’s usually control the wealth and can decide what to do with it. Many of the governments do not have the money to fix the problem but many of them do. They are just corrupt governments and do not spend the money on things that are needed for the people.
© Will Severynse